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Bid relief letter draws 104 signatures

WASHINGTON – A sign-on letter in the House of Representatives to pressure the Office of Management and Budget to move on a competitive bidding-related interim final rule has 104 signatures, according to AAHomecare.

The deadline for collecting signatures for the letter, spearheaded by Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, R-Wash., had been extended from the end of business on Tuesday, Sept. 26, to 2 p.m. EST today, Sept. 27.

The IFR, titled “Durable Medical Equipment Fee Schedule, Adjustment to Resume the Transitional 50/50 Blended Rates to Provider Relief in Non-Competitive Bidding Areas,” has been sitting at the OMB since Aug. 24, according to AAHomecare.

While the details of the IFR are still unknown, industry stakeholders are confident it contains relief, in some form or fashion, for non-bid areas.

CMS rolled out bid pricing to non-bid areas in two waves on Jan. 1, 2016, and July 1, 2016. The second wave, however, was retroactively delayed to Jan. 1, 2017, per a provision in the 21st Century Cures Act.